Jumbo carcass found in Kamakshyanagar; 5 deaths in a week

Bhubaneswar: Close on the heels of the observance of Wildlife Week by the state government, the death of an elephant on Wednesday in Kamakhyanagar region of Dhenkanal district has sent shockwaves among the pachyderm lovers. With this, death toll of jumbos in the state has mounted to five in a week.

According to sources forest officials recovered the carcass of a female elephant aged between 30-35 in the Patharakhamba jungle under Kamakshyanagar.

“Cause of the death is still not known. It can only be ascertained after post mortem” a forest official said.

Last Sunday a female and a calf elephant became victims of poachers in Panakhai village under Khallikote range of Ganjam district which took place barely 48 hours after a similar incident was reported in Karadabani jungle under Gallery range of Bhanjanagar where two elephants including a female and a calf were electrocuted.

Last week carcass of an elephant was recovered from a forest in Mayurbhanj district and the incident was preceded by the killing of two jumbos at Buguda in Ganjam district.

As per official figures, the elephant population in the state has plummeted from 2,044 in 1979 to 1,930 in 2012.

Expressing concern over the deaths of elephants, principal secretary of forests and environment Rajkumar Sharma in a recent meeting said, "From now on, government officials would be held responsible for the death of elephants in the state."